Welcome to Prudence Dapperling's "Mouse in a Million" BIG CHEESE Blog!
For my final entry of 2012, I'm going to write on
something I probably should have weeks ago.
Why has Italian cheese been my preoccupation
lately?
Surely other countries produce fantastic cheese and
possess cultures rich in cheese lore and a commitment to maintaining the sacred
traditions of cheese making.
But, of course. And they shall receive my undivided
attention in the coming months.
Italy, you see, has a special place in my heart. And
not only is it the wondrous variety of lactose-based ambrosia the nation
produces that enthralls me.
Italy’s geography and culture are a smorgasbord of enchanting
and sometimes befuddling disparity. Each region, distinct and unique, has its
own marvelous thing going on, as seen in its loyalties (regional identification
is fierce), dialect, cuisine…You name it. This banquet for the senses is
embodied in the singular character of each region's cheeses.
When you shop for cheese in Italy, you'll find only
the cheeses produced in the region you're in. Each locale is passionate
regarding their own. With rare exceptions, a shop keeper wouldn't dream of
selling a cheese from anywhere else.
Italians take their cheese very, very seriously. So
much so, that a whole raft of laws have been put in place to ensure that a
cheese bearing a particular name is made in its proper region, according to
time-honored processes with traditional ingredients, and that it achieves a
consistent standard of flavor and quality. These laws are referred to as Denominazione
di Origine Controllata (D.O.C. for short). To date, 26 cheeses have been
granted the coveted D.O.C. status. These (and their regions of origin) are as
follows:
•
Asiago: Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia
•
Bra: Piedmont
•
Caciovacallo: Apulia,
Basilicata,
Calabria, Campania
•
Canestrato Pugliese: Apulia
•
Casciotta d'Urbino: The Marches
•
Castelmagno: Piedmont
•
Fiore Sardo: Sardinia
•
Fontina d'Aosta: Piedmont
•
Formai de Mut: Lombardy
•
Gorgonzola: Lombardy
•
Grana Padano: Emilia-Romagna,
Lombardy, Veneto
•
Montasio: Friuli-Venezia
Giulia
•
Mozzarella di bufala: Campania
•
Murazzano: Piedmont
•
Parmigiano-Reggiano: Emilia-Romagna
•
Pecorino Romano: Lazio, Sardinia
•
Pecorino Siciliano: Sicily
•
Pecorino Toscano: Tuscany
•
Pressato: Veneto
•
Provolone: All regions
•
Ragusano: Sicily
•
Raschera: Lombardy,
Emilia-Romagna
•
Robiola di Roccaverano: Piedmont
•
Tallegio: Lombardy
•
Toma: Piedmont
When you visit your favorite cheese shop, look for
the D.O.C. stamp on the rind or wrapper of the goods on display. Although a
name-controlled cheese may vary a little in flavor and appearance due to
various factors (e.g., different cheese makers, ripening times, season in which
the cheese was produced, etc.), nonetheless you can be confident that it's the real deal.
Treat yourself this holiday season to a selection
of some of the finest cheeses on earth. It's a treat that will make your
Christmas and New Year's feasts memorable ones, indeed!
For the latest and greatest on everything CHEESE,
follow the blog of America’s #1 Cheese Maestro, Steven Jenkins, at www.fairwaymarket-jenkins.blogspot.com
and get the ultimate cheese "bible"--his Cheese Primer here.
One more time this year... Darklings Get
it here, curl up in front of a fireplace, and enjoy a good after-Christmas feed
read!
